A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday, admitting he killed his wife after seeing that she killed their son and tried to kill their daughter.

Christopher Smeltzer, 38, pleaded guilty in a deal that would send him to prison for at least 10 years. He admitted killing his wife, Mara Pappalardo, in November 2010 by bludgeoning her with a flashlight.

Advertisement

Prosecutors said Smeltzer told investigators that he had left his house earlier in the evening and met a friend. The two smoked crack cocaine together, and when Smeltzer returned home, his children weren't in their beds.

Smeltzer told investigators that he "lost his marbles" when he walked into his master bedroom and saw his 4-year-old son lifeless on the floor and his wife moaning on the bed with a rope around her neck. Prosecutors said Smeltzer acted under "extreme provocation."

"He indicated that his wife was still choking a little bit, that he 'lost it,' that he hit his wife with a flashlight, and that his son, Mason Smeltzer, had died, but that his daughter, Mercey Smelzer, had 'made it,'" said Assistant Attorney General Jane Young.

Christopher Smeltzer called 911 from his Auburn home 12 hours later. The delay was because he tried to kill himself after killing his wife, Young said.

"He said his daughter was cold when he initially found her in the bedroom," Young said. "That when he thought his family was dead, he took all the pills he could find. When he woke up in the morning, his daughter was on the couch with him."

Mercey, 7, was the only witness to what happened before her father arrived.

"Mercey said that she woke up, and someone she did not know was putting a scarf around her neck, and that she described the person as a big person," Young said. "She said her father was the one who had taken the scarf off."

Prosecutors said Pappalardo tried to kill her daughter. They said Pappalardo struggled with significant mental health issues in the days leading up to the murder-suicide attempt.

"She was preoccupied, according to the medical records, with death and with being killed," Young said.

Pappalardo was the youngest of five sisters. They addressed the media after Wednesday's hearing, expressing skepticism about Smeltzer's version of events.

"We believe that many fundamental questions regarding the evening of Nov. 7 and the morning of Nov. 8 have been left unanswered, leaving us with reasonable doubt to Chris's version of the story," said Pappalardo's sister, Maxine Waters.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 2. Prosecutors are recommending a 15- to 30-year sentence but said Smeltzer could reduce that to 10 years in prison if he completes an anger management course and earns a college degree while incarcerated.